Stop Wining

Stereotypes can be very degrading. But they often hold a grain of truth, which is what makes them ( in some cases ) so uproariously funny.

For example, a wine lover has been depicted as a merlot sippin’, turtleneck wearing, upscale beatnik who is as strident in his liberal views as the right wingers he criticizes.

Not really fair. Most people can appreciate a good bottle of wine, even if we prefer spirits or beer ( I’ll actually drink pretty much anything you put in front of me, as long as it doesn’t get served in a ceramic skull, or have an umbrella in it. I gotta draw the line somewhere ).

Anyway, there is a bill that would make “the most significant change to Title 33 since prohibition.” Basically, it would cut out wholesalers in some cases and allow people to purchase out of state wine. Let’s say you stumble on a great vineyard while touring Napa. Previously, you were not allowed to ship a case to your New Jersey home. If this bill passes, you could. In addition, New Jersey’s 53 wineries would also be able to ship out of state.

Sounds like a win-win, right? Ah, if only it were that simple. Wholesalers say this is the 5th largest market for booze in the country, and it would hurt them if this law were changed. They have gone so far as to call this “reverse discrimination.”

However, Senate President Sweeney is so in favor of this bill that I’m told he threatened Nic Sacco ( Transportation ) and John Girgenti ( Law & Public Safety ) with the loss of their chairmanships if they don’t help move it. btw – Both these guys are already on thin ice for backing Codey in the leadership fight ( see earlier posts ).

Anyway, critics say this will enable liquor to more easily make its way into the hands of minors. So, the “law enforcement guys” are against it. While it cleared Law & Public Safety in the Senate ( with apparently – a little arm-twisting ), it was moved out of the the same committee on the Assembly side since Gordon Johnson ( a “law enforcement guy”…see earlier paragraph ) is against it. You gotta love the Democrats, right? If the vote isn’t gonna go their way, all they need to do is change the venue. Anyway, the companion wine bill will now be heard by Regulatory Oversight and Gaming. The chairman of that committee, John Burzichelli, is a co-sponsor.